Rituals
by Lady Snowblossom
Summary: Mankind has gone back to a more primitive age, where they live in clans. Once a year, clans gather to marry off their eligible youths. KaiRei and others - AU
1. Default Chapter

Title: Rituals

Author: Lady Snowblossom

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: Kai/Rei, Tala/Bryan, Oliver/Enrique, and Robert/Michael

Note: This fic is AU. Years into the future: mankind has split up into clans that identify themselves by scaring the body. Once a year, the elders of a territory hold a mating dance at which the new adults of their clans attend to seek a mate.

The sun was shining brightly on the men, who were busily hanging silk streamers in blue, green, red, white, yellow and black from wooden poles carved to represent the totems of the attending clans. From the north came the Wolves and the Dragons. From the South gathered the Phoenix's and the White Tiger's. From out of the rising sun came the Eagles and the Falcons and lastly, the Horsemen and Griffons from the west. Other men waited to hand them ropes from which gaily painted paper lanterns hung that would be lit at festival to provide light.

The poles clearly outlined a square that would figure prominently in the evening's festivities'. All around the square, seating made from logs planed smoothed and tiered, waited empty; their ends bedecked with flowers and ribbons.

Shielding his eyes against the morning glare, a young male with long black hair bound in a ponytail that reached the back of his knees, stopped and watched the men, as they laughed and joked, while they finished the task set them.

The boy sighed, and hugged himself nervously. He reached up to itch at the bandages that covered the upper half of his cheeks and only just stopped himself; when the words of the clan doctor rang in his mind. "Now mind, Rei! You mustn't touch those bandages until I take them off, you might damage the tissue and mar your scars, then you'll not be so attractive, and then where will you be come the ceremony?"

With another sigh, he lowered his hand and tried to ignore the burning under his eyes. Turning from the scene, he resumed his journey across the village. His normally sedate village hummed with activity. Merchants from some of the few remaining big cities were hawking their goods to giggling women, stoic men and wide-eyed children. Local farmers sold their excess produce to gain cash to pay taxes and dowries for their marriageable daughters, and in a few cases – sons.

All week long, the clans had been gathering for the yearly mating ritual, when the unmarried adults would perform their clan's mating dance and hope to attract a mate from the crowds that would attend the ceremony.

As he walked, he could smell the meat that the hunters had brought in - roasting. For the last two days, many women of the gathered clans had been cooking: preparing a feast to be held afterwards, to celebrate the new bond mates.

"Yo, Rei!"

Rei whirled and smiled as his friend; Tala, heir of the Wolf Clan came trotting toward him, his four Falcon Clan guardsmen at his heels. As Tala hurried towards him, the boy's flame-red braid bounced merrily on his chest.

"Where are you going?" Ice-blue eyes twinkled, as the wolf threw a casual arm across his friend's shoulders.

"I'm going to see Dr. Ling. And have these checked." Rei pointed to the bandages. "If they're healed, I'll be able to attend the dance this year and not have to wait until next year's." He narrowed his eyes and tapped his finger on Tala's chest.

"Hey! I thought you were supposed to be out helping to round up the camels that ran away earlier this morning; seeing how it was your cousin, Koga and his friends who scared them."

Tala laughed and tossed his braid over his shoulder. "Father decided that since Koga and his cronies had so much fun scattering the herd, they could have the joy of rounding them up again."

Rei snickered, "Serves them right!"

"So," Tala said casually as he scratched at the wolf's head cut into his chest, "seen Kai?"

Rei's eyes dimmed, Kai was the reason he wanted to be among the dancers tonight. Kai was heir to the Phoenix Clan and was six months; Rei's senior. And Rei had been in love with him, since they had spent the spring and summer together.

"No."

The sadness in the boy's voice had the redhead instantly embracing him. "Don't worry, Rei. I'm sure that Kai will remember you, it hasn't been that long since the Phoenix and White Tiger's shared summer quarters."

"I hope you're right, Tala."

"Have I ever been wrong?" The wolf demanded.

"Wait while I go get my list." Rei said dryly.

"Hey!" Tala yelped, then he laughed, "Ok, so maybe I do goof every once in a while." Then he sobered, "But, I'm not wrong about this." Tala put both hands on Rei's shoulders and stared deeply into his eyes. "He will claim you, then I'll be wishing you well at your bonding."

"I hope you're right. But, before you have me married and sitting at Kai's side, I have to go see if these damn scars have healed. If they haven't . . ." Rei shrugged, "I'll be sitting in the stands, as if I were a clan heir."

Tala winced; custom forbade the clan heirs from participating in the dance. They could only watch and choose from the dancers, as clan heirs were also forbidden to wed one another. Another custom had the heirs fostering with each other and Kai and Tala were foster brothers; Kai spending a year with the Wolf Clan and Tala with the Phoenix's, where he had met Rei and made friends with the neko-jin.

Rei shook off his somber mood and gave his friend a bright smile. "I've got to go, Tal. I'll see you later. Maybe at the dance I can help you pick someone suitable, since you have abominable taste in both sexes."

"Why you!" Tala took a swing at his neko-jin friend and missed as Rei ducked and scurried off toward a white and red tent. As the boy vanished into the darkness of the doorway, the wolf turned to his guards, "Come on, we're going to visit the Phoenix's."

Kai paced his tent, listening with half an ear to the drone of his scribe. 'What did he care about how many yards of cloth their sheep had provided, or how many crates of apples, peaches, pears, and cherries the orchards had provided. He was too keyed up for such nonsense right now! In just a few short hours, he would have to don his best robes, and sit at the head of his clan and choose a mate!

Damn his grandfather, for forcing this upon him! The old phoenix was tired and sick and wanted to step down, but couldn't as long as Kai remained unwed. So, he had ordered Kai to choose someone from this year's assemblage of dancers.

And once wed, the only way he'd be able to get rid of the unwanted mate would be to catch them being unfaithful; and since the punishment for infidelity was death, few risked it.

A commotion outside his tent caught his attention, and he strode to the flap and peered out. Finally, a way out of listening to that old man sitting there; going on about cattle! Turning to the half-naked scribe, who, oblivious to his master's ire, kept reading from the parchment in his hands.

"Get out!"

The sudden bark startled the old man, and he fumbled the scroll he had been reading. "M-master?"

"Get out, I said!" Kai snapped, "My foster brother is here, and we don't need you droning and mumbling in the middle of our reunion! Now, get out, before I have you flogged!"

The old man scrambled to gather his things and fled the tent, just as Tala walked in.

"My, you're in a fine temper. What did poor old Shio do to get you all riled up?"

"Droned at me all morning about: cloth, sheep, fruit, pigs, cattle and I don't want to talk about it!" Kai flung himself onto a pile of pillows and glared up at his foster brother. "Where have you been? We've been here for two days."

Tala walked across the carpet lying on the ground and went to a boxwood table sitting on folding legs, and poured two expensive glass goblets full of wine from the golden pitcher sitting there. Carrying the goblets over to his foster brother, he lowered himself to the ground and handed Kai one.

The bluenette took the offering and threw back half the contents, before eyeing his friend over the rim. "Well?"

"Oh, the usual. Following father around and learning how to govern, chasing my cousin Koga and his cronies and trying to keep them out of trouble."

"From what I hear, you aren't doing a very good job at that."

"Shut up."

Kai snickered, and Tala regarded him with injured dignity. "As I started to say, before I WAS so rudely interrupted." Kai flipped him off.

Tala sniffed, but refrained from retaliating, "I visited with Robert, Oliver and . . . Rei."

At that name, Kai's hand-unnoticed by its owner-clenched.

However, the redhead had noticed and he smiled inwardly with satisfaction, he had been right; Kai did want Rei. Now everything hinged on Rei's scars being healed and the proof of his adulthood being visible for all to see.

Wickedly, the wolf grinned. "Rei is looking very . . . nice. He's had his face marked and when I last saw him, he was heading for the doctor's to see if the scars were healed." He flicked a casual glance back at Kai's hands, his dear foster brother was capable of controlling his face, but his hands gave him away every time and right now, they had a death grip on the half empty goblet.

Slowly, Tala got to his feet and Kai gave him a questioning look. "I have to go check on Koga's progress." He explained and finished off the last of his wine, before returning the goblet to the table. As he set it down, he mused aloud, "You know, Kai, if Rei does participate in tonight's dance, I think I might offer for him. He would make a fine Wolves' mate."

There was silence behind him and he turned to find crimson eyes blazing fire at him. Pretending to not notice the barely contained rage, he went to the flap of the tent and waved, "Don't bother seeing me out, I'll just be on my way. See you tonight." He barely made it out of the tent, when he heard an audible snap and knew that Kai had broken something, most likely the goblet.

"Well, well, foster brother seems I've lit a fire under your tail." He grinned broadly and leapt astride his horse and waving for his guards; he headed out towards where the camel herd should be.

Kai rose to his feet, ignoring the spread stain on the hideously expensive rug and stomped to his tent flap. Sticking his head outside, he watched as Tala and his guards rode off towards the western end of his camp.

"If anyone is claiming Rei, it will be me, even if I have to defy my whole clan." He vowed, then he shouted for a maid to come and clean the carpet and went off to see if Rei would indeed be at the dance.


	2. chapter two

Title: Rituals

Subtitle: Bryan

Author: Lady Snowblossom

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: Kai/Rei, Tala/Bryan, Oliver/Enrique, and Robert/Michael

Two young women of the Falcon Clan walked down the rows between the tents, carrying between them a large leather bucket of water.

"Oh, there he is." One of the girls, a rosy cheek blonde sighed.

"Who?" The second girl asked. When her companion pointed, she followed the girl's finger and spotted who, she was sighing over.

A lithe young man strode off to the side of the path, his long slender legs were incased in a pair of russet cotton pants with a heavy black leather belt encircling his trim waist. From the belt, rocking with motion of his hips were two dagger sheaths, from which the hilts of two steel daggers could be seen.

His long lilac colored hair tied by a black thong into a ponytail that fell halfway down his long back. His sleeveless brown shirt was tucked tight against his body, showing it off to perfection.

Completing the outfit were black leather boots that ended just below the knee.

"Well, it looks like we won't need a stallion to see if you're ready for breeding." The second girl, a rangy brunette teased her friend. The blonde blushed crimson and threatened her friend with a fist.

"Binney, I swear, one of these days, some guy's gonna come along and you'll be mooning over him, and when that day comes, I'm gonna laugh my ass off."

"In your dreams, Razil. Now, stop drooling into the bucket and let's get this water to the cooks, before we wind up with latrine duty." Razil blanched and quickly hurried off with Binney, leaving the oblivious object of her desire behind.

Bryan strode between the tents; heading for the center of camp. He needed to speak to his cousin-brother Spencer before he left to go on patrol. The camp buzzed with activity, oldsters sat outside tents and either were working on some weapon or were involved in scraping hides or cleaning the grounds.

Children ran back and forth; carrying firewood, water or were returning from the horse herd leading a mount either for a father, mother, sister or brother. And the women were preparing food for the evening's feast.

He paused outside a yellow and white tent and greeted a heavily pregnant woman, who was stirring a bubbling pot of stew. "Wind be with you, Jonina. How are you this morning?"

The woman looked up, pushed back a strand of auburn hair from her face and smiled, "Wind be with you, Bryan. I'm fine. Are you looking for Spencer?"

"Yes, I need his help later today."

"He's in the tent; getting ready to ride over to the Horsemen's camp and dicker for a couple of new stallions for the herd. So, go on in." She smiled at him, and waved him away. Bowing, the youth walked away and scratched at the sides of the tent before entering.

A big boned blonde looked up, as the boy ducked into the entrance. "Wind be with you, Spencer. I hear you're going dickering." Bryan entered the tent and watched as his cousin removed a green cotton shirt from a chest made of cedar and banded with brass. Pausing for a moment, before donning the shirt, Spencer nodded at his cousin.

"Wind be with you, Bryan. Yeah, father thinks we've breed enough foals out of Bonecrusher and Steel hooves, so he wants me to trade them for a pair of new studs." The heir to the Falcon Clan nodded toward an ash wood stool. "Sit down and tell me what you want."

Taking the indicated seat, Bryan stretched out his legs and smirked. "What makes you think I want anything?"

Cocking an eyebrow at his smirking cousin-brother, Spencer snorted. "I haven't fell for that in years, so don't even try it. Besides, I know perfectly well that you are on patrol this morning, and there is only a couple of inches on the candle before you have to report. Now, what is it?"

"All right. I want you and Ian to run me through the dance one last time, before tonight."

Spencer crossed the tent and put his large hands on his cousin's shoulders and gazed into suddenly uncertain silver eyes. "Bryan," he said softly, "we have been practicing that for months now, even before you had your scars done." He nodded toward the row of feather like scars that ran the length of the boy's arms from wrist to shoulder. "You are letter perfect. Stop worrying so much!"

"I can't help it! So much is riding on this!" Bryan sighed, "I so want to please Boris and Syreeta by making a good match! At least that way, I can pay the family back for taking me in, after my parents died."

Spence banged him lightly on the top of the head. "Stop this nonsense about paybacks, at once! You are as much a part of us, as we are a part of you! And father and mother would be very angry if they heard you talking like that!" His blue eyes grew stern, "Bryan, promise me, if father tells you someone offered for you tonight, that you don't feel comfortable with, no matter how good the offer is; you won't take it." He drew the other youth into an embrace.

Surprised by the rare show of affection, Bryan wrapped his own arms around his cousin. "I promise."

"Good." Spencer said, pulling away from the other. "Now, if you don't have any other idiocies going on in your head, you had better get riding. You know, how old Ortzi gets when someone is late reporting."

Bryan got to his feet and a tiny smile curled his lip. "I know, I don't particularly want to wind up with nursery or latrine duty, at least not tonight. Ride with the Wind, Spencer and keep safe."

"And you, as well, Bryan. If I don't see you before tonight, good luck."

"I will and thank you." Bryan headed back outside and vanished. Spencer stared after him, frowning. "I think I better have a word with father." Then he too, left the tent.

Bryan was nearly at the end of a rather exciting patrol; four times he and Falborg: his gray gelding had turned back camels from the scattered herd and drove them back toward the grazing grounds, when he heard the thunder of approaching hooves.

He wheeled Falborg around to face the oncoming rush, when a she-camel burst out of a stand of cottonwood trees and into sight. Behind her riding hard, came a blowing black horse with a red haired youth aboard.

'What does that fool think he's doing? The ground over there is too uneven for that speed! He's gonna get thrown, if he isn't careful!' No sooner had he thought that, than it happened. The black stepped into a hole in the ground and went down with an inhuman scream.

Even from where he was, Bryan could hear the snap of the horse's leg, and he stared in frozen horror, as it's rider sailed over the animal's head to land unmoving on the ground. Shaking himself out of his paralysis; he clapped heels to Falborg's flanks and sent the gray plunging forward; he ignored the camel, as she lumbered past.

Reaching the fallen rider, he yanked the gray to a stop and leapt from the saddle. Racing to the boy's side, he fell to his knees and began to check for injuries. Carefully running his hands along the left side of the boy's body, he couldn't help but notice how firm his muscles were, or how even lying crumpled like he was; he gave off an air of sensuality.

"Wonder what it would be like to kiss him." At that thought, Bryan shook himself, appalled that he would even consider something like that, when attending an injured rider. 'What is the matter with me, I don't even know his name, and I want to kiss him?'

Growling low in his throat, Bryan slowly rolled the boy onto his back and gasped. 'Wind, but he's beautiful!' Sweeping his gaze down the length of the youth's body, he noted the wolf head scar. "Wolf clanner, eh? Were you one of the idiots, who scattered the herd?'

Finally satisfied that the boy had sustain nothing more than a bump on the head, that had momentarily knocked him cold, Bryan turned his attention to the pitifully thrashing steed.

Rising from the boy's side, he went to the wounded animal and avoiding it's sharp teeth, knelt on it's neck, pinning it down. Expertly, his silver eyes swept the animal and he closed his eyes when he got a good look at the injury.

The black's front right leg was snapped; the bone had pierced the skin in two places. Stroking the now trembling animal's neck, he slowly drew out one of his daggers and whispered; "Go to Wind, boy and may you run free forever." And he drove the dagger to the hilt into the animal's throat severing the jugular.

Scarlet sprayed all over him, as the horse jerked and thrashed, grimly he held on until it finally laid still. Ignoring the blood, Bryan rose from the carcass and cleaned his blade on a dry spot on his pants and went back to the youth.

Just then a clarion call rang nearby.

"Tala! Where are you? TTTAAALLLLAAA!"

Bryan yelled back, "over here! Rider down! Help!"

"Coming!" The voice roared, and soon four men dashed into view, their horses puffing and blowing. Quickly, they reached Bryan and the red haired boy. Two of the men rode over to the carcass of the dead horse, while the one, who Bryan identified as the leader, by the red leather band around his head, pulled to a halt and leapt from his saddle and approached Bryan; hand on sword hilt. His companion remained a horse, but watched warily; ready for anything.

Bryan tensed, then relaxed when he saw the feather scars of his own clan. "Wind be with you, clan brother! I am Bryan, nephew-son to Boris, clan leader!"

The older man smiled, "Wind be with you, young Bryan! My name is Falken, and I am captain of Tala's bodyguard. What happened here?"

Bryan quickly related what had occurred and the flaxen blonde sighed, as he stared down at the boy on the ground. "Tala, how many times must I tell you to not do things like that? Your father is going to be most upset. And I'd rather take on a bear bare-handed than face your mother." He shook his head and turned to his men.

"Dur, you and Gert, strip the horse! Dario, come here!"

"Sir!" Dario rode to his leader's side, and Falken knelt and carefully sliding his arms under Tala's head and knees lifted him and handed the youth up to the rider. "Take him back to the healer's tent and be careful. Zeev is going to angry enough!"

"Zeev?" Bryan asked, "he's one of Zeev's sons?"

"His heir," Falken grinned at the shocked look on Bryan's face. "I think it would be best, if you came and told his father what happened."

Bryan squinted up at the sun; his time on patrol was over. "Very well, I will accompany you."

Falken nodded and went to his ride and mounted. Bryan whistled and Falborg, who wandered off to eat, trotted up to him, and grabbing a handful of mane; Bryan flung himself into the saddle. Riding over to Falken, he nodded as the man motioned for him to ride on his off side, so the swing of his sword wouldn't be impeded; if he had to fight.

As they rode away, leaving the carcass of the dead horse to the buzzards all ready circling overhead. Bryan growled to himself. 'Clan heir. Just my luck, I finally see something I'm interested in, and he turns out to be a clan heir! So much for any hope, I might have had there."

Lost in his thoughts, Bryan didn't notice the look Falken was giving him.

'Good seat, right tension on the reins. He's well developed, a touch on the small side, but still, that's no problem. Nephew-son to the clan leader, is he. He'd make a good match for Tala. Perhaps, if Zeev doesn't kill me on the spot for letting that young idiot get away from us. I'll drop a hint or two, about maybe he should speak to Tala about looking the boy over."

Hiding his thoughts, Falken said quietly. "So, tell me, young Bryan, are you going to be at the dance tonight?"

"I plan to be." Bryan replied eyes on Tala. Following his gaze, the war leader hid a smirk behind his hand.

"Perfect."


End file.
